Chennai 02: Two minor victories?

[Event "FWCM 2013"] [Site "Chennai"] [Date "2013.11.10"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B19"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2870"] [Annotator "Josh Friedel"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "IND"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] 1. e4 {Normally, the first moves of a game could pass without comment. In the first couple games of a World Championship, however, they reveal a lot. In his previous few matches Anand has started with 1. d4, so playing e4 might have been a slight surprise. Nevertheless, if you have several months to prepare nothing short of 1. g4 will catch your opponent completely off guard.} c6 { This was also perhaps not the most expected, as Magnus is a major proponent of double king pawn. Even so, he's capable of playing most anything, and trying to sidestep the brunt of Vishy's preparation doesn't seem all that unwise.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 {Anand opts for the safest option, rather than 3. e5, which is the sharper move. This seems to be Vishy's M.O. in the early stages of a match. When he first faced Gelfand's Grunfeld, he played a quiet sideline in the first game, but the next time he faced it he played one of the sharpest lines possible (3. f3).} dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 e6 {Magnus goes for the slightly less common move.} (7... Nd7 {is the main variation, which prevents White from planting a knight on e5.} 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 {and these days White has been playing the simple 11. Bd2 followed by queenside castling.}) 8. Ne5 (8. h5 {is still possible, but now after} Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Nf6 {Black has a couple extra options, for instance playing Bd6 next move.}) 8... Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Nd7 11. f4 Bb4+ {This silly looking check is actually the most popular move. If a 1000-rated student played this move I would yell at them for giving a check for no reason, but if you are 2800+ you are allowed to play such moves. In seriousness though, putting the pawn on c3 has its drawbacks, as the queen on d3 is looser and Black's queen sometimes can use a5.} 12. c3 Be7 13. Bd2 Ngf6 14. O-O-O {Anand sidesteps his own game! This move looks a bit more flexible than Qe2, which he used to beat Ding Liren in crushing fashion.} (14. Qe2 c5 {This move turns out to be premature.} (14... O-O {was clearly the better option, with normal play.} ) 15. dxc5 Qc7 16. b4 O-O 17. O-O a5 18. a3 Nxe5 19. fxe5 Nd7 20. Ne4 axb4 21. cxb4 Qxe5 22. Bc3 Qc7 23. Rad1 Rad8 24. Qg4 g6 25. Nd6 e5 26. Qc4 Nb6 27. Qe4 Nd7 28. h5 gxh5 29. Qf5 Bf6 30. Qxh5 Qc6 31. Rxf6 Nxf6 32. Qxe5 {1-0 (32) Anand,V (2783)-Ding Liren (2707) Paris/St Petersburg FRA/RUS 2013}) 14... O-O ( 14... c5 {is the other main option, which is much better against 14.0-0-0 than Qe2. Now the tactical point is that if} 15. dxc5 (15. Be3 {is the main move.}) 15... Nxe5 16. Qxd8+ {Note how this move wouldn't be compulsory if White's pawn were back on c2!} Rxd8 17. fxe5 Ng4 {and with White's weak pawns only Black can be better.}) 15. Ne4 {It is logical to want to improve this awkward knight, but this move also leads to mass simplifications, something which the side with less space rarely objects to.} (15. Qf3 {is another option which keeps a bit more tension, though keeping that eyesore on g3 blocking the g-pawn isn't easy to do.}) 15... Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Nxe5 {This is the first new move of the game. Stategically, it is often undesireable to take this knight and allow fxe5, but Magnus has a concrete follow up.} 17. fxe5 Qd5 {This is the point. White either has to trade queens or allow Black some sort of counterplay.} 18. Qxd5 (18. Qg4 $5 {was the more combative try, but this is a difficult move to make, especially if you are caught in your opponent's prep.} f5 $1 {was probably Carlsen's point. Now after} (18... Kh7 {is also playable, but after} 19. Kb1 {I like White's position a bit more, since he has the simply plan of playing Qe2 and launching his g-pawn.}) 19. Qg6 (19. exf6 Rxf6 { and Black has no troubles at all.}) 19... Qxa2 20. Bxh6 Rf7 {and the position is quite sharp. Neither king has any bragging rights as to the roof over its head, but White's looks a bit more exposed at the moment. Taking that into account, as well as the fact that it isn't clear how White will continue his attack, I don't blame Vishy for opting out of this.}) (18. Qb1 {is laughably awkward of course, and after} c5 {Black is just better.}) 18... cxd5 {Now the position has been greatly simplified, and a fairly level position has arisen. White has extra space, but with so few pieces this is less relevant. Both sides have a few ideas on their respective flanks (kingside for White, queenside for Black), but none of them are really all that scary.} 19. h5 b5 20. Rh3 {This move covers the third rank and also discourages Black from playing Rfc8, which would be positionally desireable.} a5 (20... Rfc8 21. Rg3 Kh7 22. Rf1 {and the rook would have to go back.}) 21. Rf1 Rac8 {Black's minority attack is clearly farther along than White's, so Anand decides to just force a draw.} 22. Rg3 Kh7 23. Rgf3 Kg8 (23... f6 24. exf6 Bxf6 25. Kb1 { is still safely in the draw zone, but creating a weakness on e6 isn't a way of playing for a win.}) 24. Rg3 Kh7 25. Rgf3 Kg8 {So far the fans haven't been given much in these games, but not to fret. Like in previous World Championship matches, the players often spend the first couple games feeling out their opponent's preparation. You can expect a much greater fight in the upcoming rounds!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"] [Site "Chennai"] [Date "2013.11.10"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B19"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2870"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "IND"] 1. e4 c6 {A surprise, certainly. Carlsen has played the Caro-Kann before but can hardly be called a 'Caro-Kann player'. He was smashed by Sjugirov in the 2010 Olympiad while he obtained a draw against Karjakin in the King's Tournament in 2011, but has not employed it since.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 {Anand plays the Caro-Kann himself from time to time, and although nowadays all the hype is in the advance variation (3.e5) he chooses the more classical system.} dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 e6 {If you haven't been keeping up with your Caro-Kann theory, you might think this is a bad move. Old theory considers Nd7 almost mandatory so as to stop White's next move, however modern chess dictates that Ne5 might not be such a dangerous move and in some ways welcomes it.} 8. Ne5 {there is no other way to play for the advantage.} Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Nd7 11. f4 Bb4+ {Other moves have also been tried, including Nf6 and c5.} 12. c3 Be7 13. Bd2 Ngf6 14. O-O-O (14. Qe2 c5 15. dxc5 Qc7 16. b4 O-O 17. O-O a5 18. a3 Nxe5 19. fxe5 {gave white an advantage in Anand-Ding Liren from earlier this year. It is no surprise that Anand did not want to repeat this line as surely Carlsen had something prepared, and so he chooses the computer's #1 recommendation.}) 14... O-O 15. Ne4 (15. Ne2 $1 {Seems to be an interesting way to fight for an advantage. The move played in the game seems to simplify a little too much.} h5 $5 {Keeping the kingside closed. White will probably try to sacrifice something soon.}) 15... Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Nxe5 {The first new move of the game.} (16... f5 17. Qe2 Nxe5 18. dxe5 {gave white a nice enough edge that he ended up winning the game in Smeets-Lauber, 2012}) 17. fxe5 Qd5 18. Qxd5 (18. Qg4 {everyone is questioning why Anand did not play this move, keeping the tension and seeking an advantage. The truth is that Black should be ok regardless:} f5 $1 19. Qg6 (19. exf6 Rxf6 {already looks shaky for White.}) 19... Qxa2 20. Bxh6 Rf7 21. g4 {what else?} f4 22. Rhf1 Raf8 $1 {and if White takes the pawn the game will end in a perpetual with Qa1+ and Qa4+ since White won't have Kb1 as his king is undefended. The question is now what exactly does White play.}) 18... cxd5 19. h5 {White's space advantage in the kingside is offset by Black's initiative on the queenside. It's very hard to believe either side would win this endgame.} b5 20. Rh3 a5 21. Rf1 Rac8 22. Rg3 Kh7 23. Rgf3 Kg8 24. Rg3 Kh7 25. Rgf3 Kg8 1/2-1/2